Chords and Brush Strokes
by InherentlyUnpigmented
Summary: After accidentally eavesdropping on some of their classmates' conversation while entering one of his college classes, Kenny McCormick invites his best friend Tweek Tweak to a gay bar in an effort to play match-maker with a guy that Tweek has had on his sights for a while.
1. Chapter 1 - Matchmaking

"A gay bar?" Tweek asked with a confused glint of curiosity as he tilted his head to the side.

"A gay bar," Kenny echoed, the smile on his face wide and knowing.

"But," the shaky blond stammered for a moment, "how did you…?"

He didn't even _need_ to finish the question. Kenny could read him like a book.

"You tipped off my _gaydar_,"he shrugged.

Sure enough. Kenny had suspected from the very moment he laid his eyes on the boy that he most probably was at least _a little bit_ interested in men. Spending time with him and his countless quirks only confirming his hypothesis. But that was not the end of it. No. Kenny had noticed—on several occasions, one might add—the enamoured looks of unadulterated _pining_ he directed at one of their classmates in particular; and the pink tint that would spread across his cheeks whenever their gazes would meet, even if just for a fleeting moment. He knew how deeply in love his friend was with this guy… And tonight, he told himself, was the perfect night to make magic happen.

A couple of days earlier, he had overheard a conversation as he walked into the classroom for one of his basics. He began to pay close attention as a guy—the same guy Tweek always made goo-goo eyes at—shyly revealed himself as homosexual to the group of bros around him. His friends had congratulated him on "coming out", patting him on the back and throwing arms around his neck and shoulders, and one of them had suggested that he went to a gay bar during the weekend, practically setting him up with another dude whose name escaped Kenny. He found it peculiar when the guy accepted, since he had been a witness of the awkward glances he exchanged with Tweek on a daily basis, and the way he averted his gaze with red cheeks after locking eyes with him. He had been willing to bet that he reciprocated his friend's feelings.

With a sense of determination, he decided to listen in, trying to dig for specifics about this arrangement, managing to find out practically all the important details. He concluded he should take action before _something_ would happen, deciding to act as a matchmaker.

Hence the conversation he was having with Tweek.

"It's a nice little bar just off-campus that I heard has very good music on Fridays," the shaggy blond assured him with an almost pleading smile. "Please, come with me! I know you're going to love it!"

"I don't know, Kenny," the taller boy hesitated around his cup of coffee. "Clubs aren't really my thing."

"Please, Tweekers! I really want to go!"

He sighed in defeat and allowed his friend to take care of the rest and make plans for the both of them, a little too overwhelmed by the foreign concept of meeting strangers at a night-life location, and the jarring expectation of the forced and awkward social interactions this implied.

Kenny proceeded to half-assedly explain to his friend that he was going to need what was commonly known among people like him as an "essentials pack": a backpack he asked him to bring over with a change of clothes and a towel; assuring him that he must not worry at all, since he would provide everything else that was necessary to complete his pack.

"Why do I need to bring all of this shit with me?" the pale boy asked with his eyebrows knitted together.

"Because," he started, "you know, someone might… _invite you to their home_," he phrased gracefully after much thought, not wanting to discourage him from an already unwelcome possibility. "And if nobody does, you're staying over with me, so you definitely need it!"

"Invite me to their home?" he repeated with an eyebrow raised. "Is that just what happens at gay bars or…?"

"It might happen," he winked.

* * *

They made their way to the place and checked in Tweek's backpack, the boy immediately pocketing the claim check as they walked towards the bar and took a seat on the stools. As per Tweek's request, they ordered a couple of non-alcoholic drinks, much to Kenny's demise, but the dirty blond quickly began to scan their surroundings trying to locate his target. He finally spotted him over at the pool tables, beer in hand, and playing with a very _uninterested-looking_ gentleman, who he assumed to be the same guy his friends had set him up with.

Craig Tucker—the guy he had been looking for—was tan, slightly muscular, and tall… Although maybe not as tall as Tweek himself. A few pieces of metal adorned his ears and nose; and dark silky hair peeked out of a blue chullo hat and hung over the side of his face. A bold slit parted his right eyebrow and he sported several bands and strings that decorated his neck and wrists. He was an attractive young lad, if only a bit edgy for his own taste, but Kenny could very easily see why Tweek had become so infatuated with him.

"Ooh! Tweekers!" he practically squeaked, repeatedly tapping his companion's arm. "Doesn't that guy go to uni with us?"

"Huh?!" he blurted out, nearly choking on his drink. He was not ready to let _anyone_ see him right then and there.

"That one, over there!" he pointed. "By the pool tables. Yellow shirt."

As soon as Tweek located him, his face became an entire poem: his cheeks shifted through various shades of pink and red, and his big round eyes widened with what Kenny could only read as either worry or intrigue… Or a mix of _both_. For the first time since they had met each other, his words had failed him, being replaced by a line of incoherent grunts.

"Let's go say hi!" he suggested enthusiastically, jumping up from his seat and dragging his friend along before he had the time, or the mental capacity, to protest.

They made a beeline towards the tan male, and Kenny greeted him with a toothy smile before introducing both himself and the bundle of nerves beside him; giving Craig's already tired-looking play-mate a chance to flee. Kenny congratulated himself as he saw the black-haired man immediately take an interest in the aforementioned bundle by his side, mentally celebrating the small victory of at least getting them to know each other's _names_.

However, what he did not take into consideration was the fact that the art student standing on his right could not speak under very stressful situations and—for an introvert such as himself—a forced social interaction in a very crowded and loud environment with the object of his affections whom he had never even _had the opportunity_ to say hello to before _definitely_ qualified as stressful. Kenny tried pushing him into talking to no avail, getting only monosyllabic responses, nods, or otherwise incomplete or non-existing answers. Now, not only was the conversation not going great, but the shortest male also dreadfully noticed Craig's attention drifting from Tweek to _himself_. He slowly realised the situation he had gotten himself into: he was not setting them up anymore. He had dragged his friend along while he flirted with the man in front of them, who, by the way, had started _flirting back_. He had to find a way out quickly.

"Ooh! Tweekers!" he purred after looking around for a couple of seconds. "There's a guy checking me out over there and he's like… _really hot_. Do you mind if I go talk to him?"

Okay. Not his best idea. But it should be enough to drive the message home that he was _not_ trying to flirt with Craig, he thought. Tweek's head snapped back at him, his eyes wide and pleading and his lips trembling and twisting in discomfort. He gulped, finally nodding and stuttering his answer:

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Yeah! Thank you so much!" he pulled his friend into a hug before turning to the other guy, meeting his puzzled gaze. "Now, Craig, baby… I'll leave him in your hands okay? Take good care of him."

Kenny winked and, without saying anything else, he sprinted away, disappearing into the crowd, leaving the two boys just looking in the general direction he had gone.

They remained silent for a while, not daring to look into each other's eyes. They took silent sips of their respective drinks as Tweek shifted in place, seemingly looking for a place to escape to.

"You're quiet," Craig pointed out in monotone after an agonisingly long few minutes. "Not your scene?"

Tweek shook his head in response.

"Are you okay?" the shorter of the two pushed.

"Too many people," was his only answer.

The raven looked around, setting his eyes on a lonesome spot on the bar area that he thought might help ease the nerves of his new companion. He pointed in its direction and grabbed the boy by the arm gently, guiding him through the oceans of people and onto the couple of available seats.

* * *

As it turned out, the space Craig had chosen was perfect. Not only was it _considerably_ less packed than the rest of the place was, but the position also allowed them to look mostly at each other and the bartender, effectively blocking out everyone else around them and creating the illusion of a much less cramped area. Within a few minutes. Tweek's shoulders were back to a more relaxed position.

"Is that better?" the tan male asked with a soft chuckle after he heard the blond let out a heavy sigh.

"Fuck. YES. Much better," he replied, throwing his head back a bit. "Thank you."

"Do you not like being in crowded spaces?"

"I can do it when I mentally _prepare_ for it," he explained with an embarrassed grunt, "but fucking _Kenny_ didn't tell me it was going to be _this bad_! He barely told me _anything_!"

"Okay, well. We can stay here for a while," the raven offered with a smile, trying to reassure him and noticing his glass was now empty. "I'll buy you a drink. What are you having?"

"_Ugh_. Promise not to judge me?"

"Promise."

"Virgin Pina Colada."

"Really?" he asked with a shit-eating grin.

"Hey! You promised not to judge!"

Craig let out a laugh and called the bartender over. He then asked for Tweek's drink and ordered another beer for himself. After a few minutes of making small talk, he noticed the thinner male had fully released the tension from his shoulders. Not only that, but his answers had also gone from monosyllabic and barely audible gibberish to _actual human dialogue_. He had even started humming along to some of the songs that the DJ played. Craig smiled, deciding to venture a little bit.

"Hey," he called softly. "Do you think you'd like to dance?"

"I don't know how to," the boy lamented, shooting him an apologetic smile and a couple of furrowed brows.

"Don't worry, neither do I and, in fact," he said in a soft tone, pointing at the dance floor with a goofy grin, "neither do any of those guys."

Tweek snorted a bit and gave his crush a faint smile. He agreed to go but asked for a little more time to mentally adjust for the challenge that going into the dance floor represented for him.

Craig accepted it with a smile and waited patiently in a comfortable silence. He looked at the blue eyes in front of him under the dim light. He had never seen eyes as pretty as those before, he thought. He decided that he _really_ did want something to bloom between the two of them. He moved his hand, attempting to reach for the other man's shoulder in an embrace but, before he could do it, he heard him speak once more:

"Okay. I think I'm ready."

The raven didn't respond. He just gave him a smile and, feeling adventurous, grabbed his hand as he led him to the dance floor. They found a small area that seemed not to be as crowded as the rest of the place, and Craig started to move to the rhythm of the bass.

Noticing his companion was just awkwardly standing there, he decided to ask:

"Are you not going to dance?"

"I told you. I don't know how to."

"Just," he gestured vaguely to himself, "move around a bit. Feel the rhythm, do whatever feels right. If it helps, maybe try looking at what other people are doing."

He started to point out some of the people he saw, reproducing their moves slowly in an attempt to ease his shy dance partner into the idea of just letting go.

"What if people think I look stupid?"

"Nobody is looking this way," he dismissed. "Plus, have you seen these people? Seriously dude, it's fine."

Tweek snorted and gingerly began to sync up with Craig as the latter continued to point out more steps for him to try. He followed them hesitantly and eventually he had the feeling he was getting the hang of it, attempting together more and more complex sequences every time, with his dance partner praising him with a genuine smile whenever he got it right. He laughed, fully enjoying the experience of just _moving_ to the music; not quite sure if he liked the activity itself or the fact that he was dancing with _Craig_. Finally, he felt confident enough that he wanted to do one of the moves he saw a couple perform far away from them.

"Hey, I want to try something," he suggested shyly.

"Okay?"

"Just… humour me," he requested, taking both his partner's hands and placing them on his sides with a cheeky grin. "Grab my waist like this."

Craig blushed with his mouth slightly agape at the sudden display of pure and unadulterated confidence, but he was not about to complain about the new physical contact, accepting it with open arms. He stayed still, observing as Tweek turned around to give his back to him and draped his arm around his shoulder.

He should've seen it coming a mile away, he thought, but Craig still couldn't help the shocked jolt and the soft moan that escaped his lips when the taller male rolled his hips _obscenely_ against his own. His hands traveled a slow path downwards, holding the pale man by the hips and enjoying the sweet electric friction of their bodies grinding together. He found himself unable to avoid the feverish heat that took over his body, making his fingers tingle and his breath grow heavy with desire.

"Hey, Tweek?" he let out an airy pant into the boy's ear, making him shiver. "Do you want to… you know… _get out of here_?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Symphony

"Hey, Tweek?" he let out an airy pant into the boy's ear, making him shiver. "Do you want to… you know… get out of here?"

Tweek looked back at him with a frown. They had been having such a good time, he thought. Getting out of there seemed counterintuitive , to say the least. He thought back however, to whenever he had seen this guy around campus. He remembered spotting him with crowds of people multiple times and, more often than not, he would be holding a cigarette to his lips, shrouded in grey clouds.

That had to be it, he concluded. This man must've wanted to have a smoke.

"Okay," he agreed. "Let's do it."

"Maybe you should tell Kenny, though," Craig urged.

"What? Why…?"

"You guys came here together, right?" he explained. "If he looks around and doesn't see you anymore, he might get worried."

"You're right!" he said with a nod and set off to find his friend.

Once he saw Kenny, he ran up to him and informed him that Craig had asked him to "get out", which earned him a proud squeal.

"Okay, okay! You go get your backpack and tell me everything afterwards, okay?"

The blue-eyed man blinked twice with a blank expression and walked away. He didn't understand what his friend was talking about. Why did he need to get his backpack if they were just heading outside for a moment? Why had he even brought it in the first place? He scoffed and decided to just head back to Craig, who had already dug out a cigarette from somewhere in his jacket.

"What did he say?" he asked, holding the cigarette in his lips while he shoved his hand in his jeans pocket, fishing for a lighter.

"He told me to get my backpack, can you believe that?" he mocked, thinking he would get a laugh out of him.

But to his surprise, the tan male agreed.

"Yeah. Go do that."

Tweek decided it was probably best if he didn't question the situation anymore. Bar culture was weird , he thought in resignation, and he would more than likely never understand the social conventions, norms, and cues that went on in places like those. It was just too strange for him. Once he got his backpack, he went back to Craig, and he offered him a shaky hand to hold as they walked out of the building and onto the chilly air that felt a lot colder in contrast with the human heat emanating from inside the bar.

"Do you mind if I take a smoke?" Craig asked, holding the pack open as to offer one to Tweek too.

"Not at all," he shook his head with a blush, accepting the invitation and sharing the soft glow and heat of Craig's lighter. He took a long drag, and released his breath in a slow exhale. So this was a smoke break, after all.

"So… Your place or mine?" the raven asked through a cloud of ash.

Or maybe not.

He couldn't believe it! Kenny was right! People at bars did randomly invite each other to stay over!

"Well," he thought out loud, "I have some roommates…"

His mind went to Wendy, Bebe, and Nichole. He loved them to bits, but he knew the absolute shitshow that they could throw if he decided to just show up at two in the morning after telling them not to wait up for him... And especially if he arrived hand in hand with an uninvited guest! To put it simply, he didn't think they would appreciate it too much. He opened his mouth to explain, but Craig had already begun to speak.

"Ah, I see," he deadpanned, smoking the last bit of his cigarette and tossing the butt onto the ground to put it out under his heavy boot. "Mine it is."

They held hands, intertwining their fingers as Craig guided Tweek into their apartment complex. They walked in silence—not a comfortable silence as the one they had shared before, but one filled with doubt, expectations, and uncertainty—. The blond had decided not to question it anymore, but he couldn't help the heavy tide of inquiries and conspiracy theories that bubbled up in his already crowded mind. Once in front of his place, the tan male unlocked the door and let him into the dark corridor before coming in as well and locking up behind him. He observed the slender silhouette in front of him, noticing the curvy shape of his back under the slightly form-fitting shirt, and hesitated for a moment before giving a gentle tug to his hand again to pull him in for a hug and press their lips together.

The pale boy's eyes immediately fluttered shut, and his stomach twisted inside of him, feeling like it might burst into a million butterflies. His feet were feather-light as he leaned in to the touch. How sweet that was, he thought. Craig had probably been wanting to kiss him for a while, but he had been too shy to do it with so many people around, so he decided to wait until they were home so they could have privacy, he concluded. Tweek reciprocated the kiss, moving his lips rhythmically in unison and freeing his hand from the soft grasp to wrap it around the raven's neck in consent while his other hand tugged the chullo off, entangling his fingers on the dark locks of hair. The other man, in turn, pushed him carefully but with a burning passion that contrasted against the cool wood of the door.

The blond moaned at the pressure he felt against him as their whole bodies danced into the kiss, their pace picking up little by little. Soon, he felt a tongue shyly asking for access into his mouth so, while he wasn't typically one to french kiss on the first date—if he could even call it that—, he figured he could make an exception for this man whom he'd had in his sights for such a long time, and who had been nothing but great to him throughout the night. He opened up, allowing the kiss to deepen, and their bodies kept dancing as their tongues explored each other's mouths as if they wanted time to halt forever so they could lose themselves in the electricity that coursed through their whole system. Tweek then felt Craig's hands travel to his thighs and curl there.

A little moment of hesitation.

Before he could even think about it, however, he found himself being picked up and slowly carried somewhere into the apartment as he held tightly to the other male. He let out a little squeak as he was lifted, but released his tension with a mischievous giggle when he felt hungry lips clumsily searching for his once again. Not long after, he was dropped from the embrace and onto a soft bed, and the other man climbed on top of him, their uneven breaths crashing against each other. Tweek could see a feral glint in those half-lidded green eyes under the dim light that came from the window, and a burning warmth spread across his chest when he saw the way he bit his already abused-looking lips. He couldn't help but shiver, his fingertips tingling, aching for more.

Craig pressed their lips together once more, resuming their heated kiss, letting their tongues dance and swirl together. His hands caressed the slender boy underneath him, adventuring with curious fingers onto the soft skin of his stomach and along the elastic band of the underwear that lined those beautiful jutting hip bones. He inhaled sharply through his nose—the lock of their lips keeping him from gasping—when he felt Tweek starting to run his own hands down his back and anchor his thumbs on the belt loops of his jeans. They parted lips for a moment and broke into heavy pants before the raven started kissing him again, this time on the milky white skin of his neck.

The taller male moaned loudly at the intense contact, throwing his head back and feeling his breath get shorter with each painfully pleasurable kiss. He gasped for air when he felt the tan male's tongue lap his collarbone and his hands reach for the poorly done buttons of his shirt.

And, in that moment, everything clicked.

"Getting out."

"Staying over."

The "essentials pack."

Even the button-up shirt he always struggled so much with, but that Kenny so vehemently had insisted he wore.

He finally understood what was about to happen.

Craig brushed his lips against the now exposed skin on Tweek's chest, lovingly lining every nook and cranny of his beautiful slim figure with pink-coloured kisses. He trailed his fingers downwards as he undid the rest of the buttons to finally push the annoying fabric away, uncovering more and more inviting areas he was just impatient to explore. Nevertheless, he paused for a moment, admiring the gorgeous view under the faint light that danced in from between the gaps in the window curtains. He was lucky he was able to lay eyes on such a magnificent sight, he thought with a smile before leaning down again to take in the faint but inebriating scent of the pale body underneath him.

Soft gasps.

Shivers.

With every kiss, he could hear air being pulled in, and muffled sounds emerging from the throat of the blond.

With every caress, he could see a quaking that traveled through his whole body.

With every roll of their hips against each other, he could feel the desire that took over him.

The raven stroked his partner's sides with a gentle touch from his open open palm, as his fingers danced in perfect symphony to the agitated breath underneath. His passionate kisses found their way onto Tweek's soft pink nipples, where they pressed and sucked, tentatively and hesitantly, testing and pushing the limits of the pale boy, who arched his back at the contact. Craig smiled to himself, motivated by the reactions he was getting out of his bed-mate; and his lips, teeth, and tongue began traveling South once more.

Flushed cheeks.

Sweaty palms.

Shaky fingers.

Increasingly louder voices.

Hesitation.

Hesitation.

This was his first time doing something like this, and he didn't want to mess it up. Tweek was so beautiful, he thought, so he probably had very high standards and, if he was being honest, he couldn't consider himself the most knowledgeable person in the love-making department.

A little longer, he decided. He should probably be taking it slow.

He readjusted himself on the bed, bringing the kisses slowly back up while trying to make it seem as natural as possible. He wasn't quite sure he was entirely ready to do this just yet, but he didn't want his lover-to-be to know that. He wanted to pad out his time, drag it on just a little longer. He really wanted to make the most out of this, and truly savour the experience. His lips delicately caressed the flat stomach, brushed against the perky tender nipples, and captured the skin on the pale neck.

But when they went to press onto the hot flushed cheek in front of them, he felt a wetness that hadn't been there before.

Then he noticed.

Not gasps, but sobs .

Not shivers, but shaking .

Not arching, but squirming .

His eyes widened and he jumped right onto his feet, launching himself towards the switch on the wall and flipping it on in one swift movement. The harsh white light engulfed the room for a couple moments, hurting his eyes but finally confirming those dreaded figurations: the man on his bed was, indeed, crying.

"Jesus Christ!" Craig half-shouted as he stumbled his way back onto the bed in a hurry, holding one of his companion's hands and pulling him from behind to help him sit up. "Are you okay?"

His eyebrows furrowed when the blond struggled to answer, stuttering and tripping over his own words. Thoughts of every possible bad scenario flooded his mind. He hadn't meant to scare Tweek like that.

He hadn't meant to cause him so much pain.

He hadn't meant to make him cry.

He hadn't meant to hurt him.

He hadn't meant to.

He hadn't meant to.

He hadn't meant to.

He hadn't—

"I don't want to have sex with you," the pale boy finally managed to choke out between shaky whispers.

Silence.

A few awkward glances.

More silence.

Had he heard right?

Was he imagining things?

Had Tweek really just told him that?

"Well… Duh," Craig deadpanned, his eyes trying to focus on anything but still finding it too hard under the intense light of the ceiling lamp. "I can see that, you dumbass! What I mean is, what happened? What just… changed?"

"Nothing changed!" the taller male whispered, hugging his own arms defensively.

"I thought… I thought I was reading the signs right," he wondered aloud with a soft voice that broke on the last inflection.

"And you were," the other one bit his lip, not daring to look him in the eye. "It was me who didn't read the signs the way I was supposed to."

Craig stayed quiet for a moment, absent-mindedly looking at the bundle of blankets on the bed. He couldn't lie to himself: he was disappointed that things had gone this way. He was upset that the mood had taken such a sour turn. However, he thought back to their pleasant conversation and their energetic dancing at the bar, and decided he wouldn't let this change the great time he had been having, and the way he had been feeling about this man throughout the night.

"Well," he finally spoke again with a soft voice. "Don't worry, then. We don't need to do that."

He paused for a moment to look at him from underneath with a sympathetic smile. It was true that he had really looked forward to having his first time, and the idea of losing his virginity to this gorgeous blond illusioned him to no end… But if he was being completely honest, he wasn't ready for it yet, and he didn't think he wanted that to be the way everything started out between them. Especially now that he knew Tweek himself wasn't feeling up for it.

"I get it," he continued. "It's okay if you don't want to do it. But," he paused. "I just want you to know that I am interested in you."

"Excuse me…?" the blond asked with a shaky voice.

"I know you're probably not feeling up for it right now but… Would it be possible for me to ask you out on a date?"


End file.
